Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus



16 1927. Aug H. A. WALLACE RAILWAY TRAFFI C CONTROLLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J u E w-L Filed June 14, 1926 INVENTOF? 1 M Q, Wafl% WQ Z'W Patented Au 16, 1927.

UNITED STATE-S 1,639,544 PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT A. WALLACE, OF EDGEWOOD BCROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T T3] UNION SWITCH 6'6 SIGNAL COMPANY,

PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

OE SWISSVALE- PENNSYLVANIA; A 003- RAILWAY-TRAFFIC-CONTROLLING APIPABA'1US.

Application filed an; 14, 1926. Serial No. 115,831.

My invention relates to railway traflic controlling apparatus of the type compris-' ing train carried governing means con? trolled by code impulse combinations supplied to the trackway.

I will describe one form of railway traflic controlling apparatus embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

v In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one form of railway traflic controlling apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view showing, partly in front elevation and parts 1 ly in vertical section, the selector comprising a portion of the railway traflic control.- ling apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is a sectional view along lines III- III of-Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a view partly dia- 20 g-rammatic, showing the contact structure of the selector illustrated-in'Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the lines VV of Fig. 4..

Similar reference characters refer to simithe reference character H -with a distin-' guishing exponent. and each comprising a condubting disk 13v rigidly attached to the shaft 12 and having a brush designated by the reference-character E with a suitable exponent bearing on the edge of the disk. The edge of each disk is provided with a plurality of segments 15 of equal and comparatively small peripheral lengths and a ripheral length, the segments being defined by insulating blocks 16 inserted in the disks 12. It'willbe noted that the segments 15 for all the-commutators are of the same gressi vely in size from commutator-H to commutator H A circuit controller 20, operated in any suitable manner, is arranged to connectal- -the impulse delivered to the rails when segjment 14 engages the brush contains fifteen single segment 14 of comparatively large pe- -ple of the length of the holding impulse size but that the segments 14 increase proany selected one of the commutators H.

' For example, when contact 20K is closed,

current flows from alternator G, throu h shaft 12, disk 13 of commutator brush E and contact 20K to rail 1, and from rail 1 directly back to alternator G. When this circuit is closed, an impulse of alternating current is supplied-to the rails each time a segment 15 or 14 engages brush E the length of each impulse being determined by thelength of the segment engaging the brush. Although I do not wish to limit myself to any particular time elements, for purposes of explanation I will assume that the impulse of, energy delivered to the 70 track rails when the brush engages a seg-' ment 15 contains five alternations of the current suppliedby alternator G, and that complete alternations or three times the number of the-alternations in the impulse due to the shorter segments. For reasons which will appear hereinafter, I shall call I the shorter impulses of five alternations each, holding impulses, and I shall call the longer impulses of fifteen alternations each, coding impulses.

In similar manner -,when contact 20 engages any of the other contacts K, current Y from alternator G is supplied to the track rails by; the associated commutator H in the form of code impulse combinations each comprising a coding impulse followed by a number of holding impulses each two 1mpulses being separated by a time interval. The holding impulses for the various code impulse combinations are all of the same length, but the coding impulses for each such combination are of different lengths for different commutators, and in the form here shown the parts are proportioned so that the exponent of the reference character H for each commutator indicates the multim0 represented by the coding impulse for that commutator. Thus the coding impulse Idelivered to the rails whfen commutator H is transmitting is seven t mes the length of the holding impulses or thirty-five alternations.

The train T is provided with apparatus which is selectively responsive to thecode impulse combinations supplied to the trackway by the transmitter J. This apparatus comprises two magnetizable cores 32 and 32 carried by the train in advance of the forward axle 31 and located in inductive relation with the two track rails 1 and 1 respectively. Core 32 is provided with a winding 33 and core 32 is provided with a winding 33, the two windings 33 and 33 being connected in series in such manner that the voltages induced therein by alternating curent flowing in opposite directions in the track rails at an instant are additive. The windings 33 and .33 are connected through amplifying apparatus D with one magnet A of the selector shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The primary of transformer Q is connected in parallel with magnet A and the secondary of this transformer supplies energy to a magnet C.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the selector comprising the two magnets A and C as here shown is similar to the cycle counting selector disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 1 1,941, filed March 12, 1925, for code signaling apparatus but this particular form of selector is not essential to my invention. This selector comprises a plunger 5 provided with an armature 1 controlled by the magnet A. Journalled at 6, in the top of the plunger v5, is a spindle? which carries a disk B biased by means of a spring 8 to the position shown in the drawing in which position a projection 17 engages a fixed stop 26. A toothed wheel 10 is located above the disk B co-axial therewith and is arranged to be stepped around in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3 by means of a pawl 11 controlled by magnet C. When magnet A is de-energized, plunger 5 occupies its lower position in which it is illustrated in the drawing and the disk B therefore occupies its initial position under the influence of spring 8. When magnet A. is energized, however, armature 4 is drawn upwardly, raising the plunger 5, and lifting disk B into engagement with wheel 10. It wheel 10 is stepped around by the pawl 11 due to energization of magnet C by alternating current when disk B is in its upper position, the disk is carried in a counter clockwise direction (Fig. 3). It now magnet A. becomes deenergized. the plunger 5 drops, disengaging the disk B from the wheel 10 and allowing the spring 8 to return to its initial position. The frictional engagement of the wheel and the disk may be increased by a washer 23.

In addition to the projection 17, disk B is provided with two other spaced projections 18 and 19, which are arranged to co-operate with certain fixed contact fingers located adjacent the edge of the disk B. Referring now to Fig. 1,,the selector is provided with a series 0 contact fingers each designated by the reference character N with a distinare supplied to the track rails by commutator H of transmitter J. At the instant the commutator H is in the position shown in the drawing the segment 14 is entering into engagement with the brush E A coding im ulse is therefore supplied to the track rai s. This impulse, through the medium of the pick-up apparatus on the train T and the amplifier D, energizes magnet A, lifting disk B into engagement with wheel 10. At the same time, alternating current supplied to magnet C from transformer Q steps the wheel 10 in a counter clockwise direction by an amount which depends upon the number of complete alternations in the coding impulses. When disk B is moved to its upper position the projections 17, 18 and 19 are lifted above the plane of the associated fingers N, O and P, and contact 21 is also lifted above the plane of the segment 22, so that during this motion, no contact is closed by the selector. When the wheel 10 is stepped around by the coding impulse supplied by commutator H the projection 17 will be in the radial position indicated by the character 3 in Fig. 4 so that this projection will be immediately over contact N Contact 21 will also be immediately over the segment 22. 'W hen the segment 14 passes oil of the brush E at the end of the coding impulse, the interruption of the current supplied to the track rails will de-energize magnet A so that disk B will drop to its lower po sition. During this motion of the disk, contact 17l l and contact 21-22 are both closed momentarily. When the disk is in its lower position, however, the contacts are open and will remain open as the disk returns to its initial position. During the brief interval that contact-17 is closed, however, a surge of energy is supplied from a; suitable source, such as a battery 24, to

relay U.- Similarly, the momentary closing of contact 21-22 completes a circuit for relay S. Relays S and U both become energized. It should be noted that when relay S "is energized, a stick circuit for relay ll is closed over front contact 27 of relay S. As the transmitter J continues to operate, the first segment 15 of commutator H engages brush E to supply a holding impulse to the trackway. This holding impulse causes the disk B to belifted, and stepped around to a position indicated by the character 1 in Fig. 4. At the end of the hold ing impulse the disk-B drops to its lower position, thereby closing contact 21-22.' But contact 1'7-N is not closed because the length of the holding impulse is not suflicient to step the di k far enough to move projection 17 over nger N At the end' of the holding impulse, however, the closing of contact 2122 supplies a surge of energy to relay S This relay is therefore again energized. For each of the succeeding holding impulses supplied to the trackway during the code impulse comblnation transmitted by commutator H relay S receives a surge of energy. Due to the slowacting' characteristics of this relay, the front contact 27 of the relay remains closed during the brief interval separating successive holding impulses. As long as front contact 27 is closed, the stick circuit for relay U is also closed, this circuit having been completed at front contact 28 of relay U when this relay was first energized by thecoding impulse. After rela -U is-once picked up by the coding impu se, this relay is maintained in its energized condition as long as relay S is held in its energized condition by the intermittent energization resulting from succesive holding impulses. When the commutator H is moved to a position in which segment 14 again engages brush E a coding impulse is supplied to the selector which again supplies energy directly to relay U over contact 1'7-N Subsequently, the holding impulses supplied to the trackway, resulting in the continued energization of relay S, maintain relay Uin its. energized condition.

will. now assume that contact 20K is closed so that-code impulse combinations are supplied to the track 'rails from commutator H The coding impulse of each code impulse combination is 'now longer than when current is being supplied over commuta-tor 11 so that during this impulse, projection 17 moves past finger N to the position indicated by thecharacter 4. Project-ion 18 will then occupy a position over contact and finger 21 will also be over the segment 22. At the end of the coding impulse, when disk B drops to its lower \l position, contact 21-22 and contact 18-'-O are momentarily'closed, but contact 17N is not'close'd. Relay S therefore receives a surge of energy as before, but current is supplied from battery 24 to relay V instead of to relay U. The energization ,of relay V i, withrelay S energized completes a. stick cirsuit for relay V over its own front contact 29, and front contact 27 of relay S. As the operation of transmitter J continues. the intermittent energiz'ation of relay S holds the front contact of this relay' closed so that relay V ismaintained in its energize'd con d'-tion as long as relay S is energized.

In similar manner if contact 20,K is

closed-so that commutator H supplies code impulse combinations to the trackway, the disk B will be stepped around during the codingimpulse to a position in which projection 17 occupies the position indicated .by the character 5. Projection 19 will then be located over contact finger P sothat when the disk B drops to its lower position at the end of.the coding impulse contacts 21-22 and 19-1 are closed momentarily so that a surge of energy is delivered to relay W, energizing this relay and completing a stick circu t for this relay over its own front contact 30 and front contact 7 of relay S- During the subsequent holding impulses the continued energization of relay S maintains relay in its energized condition by virtue of its stick circuit so that the relay VV is energized as long as relay S is energized.

WVhen contact 20--K is closed so that commutator H supplies code impulse combinations to the t-rackway the disk B is stepped around during each coding impulse to a position in which projection 17 is over finger N as indicated by the character 6. \Vhen. the disk is in this position, projection 18 is also. located over contact finger 0 so that when the disk drops to its lower position at the end of the coding impulse, con-- tact 17N and contact 18O are both closedin addition to the closing of contact 21-22. Surges of energy are therefore sup plied simultaneously to relays S, U'and V and relays U and-V are both maintained in their energized condition by virtue of their stick circuits as long as relay S'is subsequently held closed by holding impulses supplied from the trackway.

In similar manner, when commutator H is transmitting code impulse combinations,

contacts 21-22, 17N and 19-P will be momentarily closed at the expiration of each code impulseso that relays S, U and W will plying code impulse combinations to the traekway the'contacts 21 22, -18'O and] 19P will be momentarily closed at theend of each code impulse and relays S, V and lV' will be energized. Finally, when commutator H is-supplying code impulse combinations to the trackway, the disk B will be stepped around during each coding impulse to a position in which projection 17 is located above contact'finger N, as indicated by the character '91 When the disk drops to its lower position at the end of the coding impulse,-cont'acts 17N 18O and 19- P -are all'closed in addition to the closing of contact21-22 so that-under this conditionall of the relays 'S, U, V and W are' energized. It should :be pointed out that when codeimpulse combinations are being supplied to the trackw'ay by any of the com-j ing impulses or holding impulses so that for each impulse supplied to the trackway, a surge of energy is supplied to relay S, but that the remaining relays receive energy only during the coding impulses.

It will be observed that on each commutator the insulating block 16 which engages the associated brush E immediately before the corresponding segment 1-1 is longer than the remaining insulating blocks 16. As a result of this construction the time interval between the last holding impulse of each code impulse combination and the coding impulse of the succeeding combination is longer than the other time intervals. During this longer interval, the train carried relays are all de-energized and the proper relay or relays are again picked up by the coding impulse for the next combination as ex lained hereinbefore. The purpose of this arrangement is to insure that when one of the commutators H is disconnected and another commutator supplies a new code inlpulse combination, only the train carried relay or relays which. should be energized by the coding impulse of the new combination will be energized.

The relays U, V and W may be used to control governing means on the train in any suitable manner, such for example, as shown in my co-pending application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 681,742, filed Dec. 20, 1923, for railway traffic controlling apparatus.

Although I-have herein shown and described only one form of railway traflic controlling apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Railway trafiic controlling apparatus comprising means for supplying the trackway with energy in the form of coding impulses separated by time intervals during which the trackway is supplied with holding impulses, train carried means responsive to the lengths of said coding impulses, and other means on the train responsive to said holding impulses for controlling. said train carried means.

magma comprising means for supplyingthe trackway with different code impulse combinations each comprising a coding impulse and at least one holding impulse, the coding impulses being of different lengths for difierent code impulse combinations, a plurality of train carried relays, means responsive to the lengths of such coding impulses for energizing a selected one or ones of said relays, and means responsive to said holding impulse for subsequently maintaining such selected relay or relays in energized condition.

4. In combination, a selector, means for supplying the selector with code impulse combinations each comprising a coding impulse and at least one holding impulse, a plurality of relays, means controlled by said selector for selectively energizing said relays in accordance with the length of said coding impulse, and means also controlled by said selector and responsive to said holding impulse for maintaining such relays in their energized condition.

5. In combination, a source of code impulse combinations each comprising a coding impulse and at least one holding impulse, a selector controlled by energy received from said source and comprising a plurality of contacts selectively operated in accordance with the length of said coding impulses, an additional contact operated when either said coding impulses or said holding impulse are supplied to the selector, and governing means controlled jointly by said contacts.

6. In combination, a source of code impulse combinations each comprising a cod ing impulse and at least one holding impulse, a selector controlled by energy received from said source and comprising a plurality of contacts selectively operated in accordance with the lengths of said coding impulses, an additional contact operated when either said coding impulses or said holding impulse are supplied to the selector, a first relay controlled by said additional contact, and a plurality of relays all controlled in part by said first relay and each controlled in part by one of said plurality of contacts on said selector.

7. In combination, a source of code impulse combinations each comprisin impulses of different lengths, a plurality-Tot relays, means controlled by energy received from said source and responsive to the length of one impulse of each said cr mbination for energizing a selected one of s-aid relays, and means responsive to the -."other impulses of each combination for subsequently maintaining said selected one of such relays in its energized condition.

8. In combination, a source of code impulse combinations each comprising" impulses of different lengths, a plurality of re lays, a selector controlled by energy received from said source and responsive to the length of each impulse, means controlled by said selector for energizing a selected one of said relays according to the length of one impulse of each combination, and means also controlled by said selector and responsive to the lengths of the other impulses in each code impulse combination for subsequently maintaining said selected relay in its energized condition.

9. In combination, a source of code impulse combinations each comprising impulses of different lengths, a plurality of relays. means controlled by the first impulse of each combination for energizing a selectcd one of saidrelays in accordance with the length of said impulse,"and means controlled by the remaining impulses of each combination for subsequently maintaining said selected relay in its energized condi-' tion.

10. In combination, with a source of alternating current, means for interrupting current from said source to form code impulse combinations each comprising impulses of different lengths, a plurality of relays, means controlled by the first impulse of each combination for energizing a selected one of said relays in accordance with the number of alternations in such impulse, and means controlled by the remaining impulses in each said combination and responsive to the number of alternations in such remaining impulses for subsequently maintaining such selected relay in its energized condition till the end of such code impulse combination.

11. In combination, a source of code impulse combinations, each comprising imulses of difl'erent lengths, a selector controlled by energy received from said source and responsive to the number of alterna--' tions in each impulse, a plurality of relays, means controlled by said selector and responsive to the number of alternations in the first impulse of each combination for' energizing a predetermined one of such reand means responsive to the number lsifys,

o alternations in the remaining impulses of said combination for-maintainin such predetermined relay in its energize condition, all said relays becoming tile-energized at the end of each code impulse combination.

.12. In combination, a stretch of railway track, means for supplying alternating current to the rails of said stretch and for periodically interrupting such supply to provide code impulse combinations each comprising a coding impulse of one length and holding impulses of a different length, said coding impulses being. of difi'erent lengths for diflerent codes, a selector controlled by current in the track rails and comprising a plurality of contacts one or another of which is momentarily. closed after each impulse depending upon the number of alternations in the impulse, a plurality of train carried relays, means controlled by said contacts for energizing a selected one of said relaysafter each coding impulse dependin upon; which contact closes, means for supp ying a; surge of energy to another rela during each holding impulse, and means or subsequently maintaining such selected relayv in its energized conditlon as long as such other relay is energized.

'13. Railway traflic controlling apparatus comprising means for'at times supplying the trackway with code impulse combinations each comprising impulses of difi'erent lengths and for at other times supplying the track way with code impulse combinations each comprising impulses of different lengths and at least one of which is of different length from a corresponding impulse of said first; code impulse combinations, and train carried governing means selectively responsive to the lengths of such impulses.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' HERBERT A. WALLACE. 

